West Chester Hosts Chestnut Hill on Wednesday

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Game Information

Date: Wednesday, November 15, 2017
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: The Schwartz Center (Widener University) - One University Plaza, Chester, Pa. 19013

Game Coverage

Live Audio: http://wche1520.com/
Live Stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/wcupa/mbball/

Game Breakdown

Coming off an 82-69 victory over NCAA Division III opponent Wesley College on Saturday, the West Chester men's basketball team returns to the court on Wednesday to square off against Chestnut Hill College inside the Schwartz Center. Although technically "on the road" the Golden Rams are calling Widener University's Schwartz Center home for the next few weeks until the Hollinger Field House in West Chester finishes its renovations. Wednesday's matchup will be the first time these two teams have faced each other since 2014, a game in which West Chester came out victories 84-81 at home.
 
 
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN RAMS
Head Coach: Damien Blair
Conference: Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC)
Overall Record: 1-0
Conference Record: 0-0
Streak: W1
Team Page: http://wcupagoldenrams.com/index.aspx?path=mbball
 
West Chester came into Saturday's game against the Wolverines looking to win its second season-opener in the past three seasons and hoping to put the troubles of the 2016-17 season behind it. Finishing last year with a 14-15 overall record, the Golden Rams sub-.500 season record marked the first time since 2007-08 that West Chester had accumulated more losses than victories.
 
On Saturday, Jackson Hyland  (Avondale, Pa./Kennett) paced the West Chester attack against the Wolverines, finishing the game with 24 points on 10-of-16 shooting, while grabbing eight boards and handing out two assists in 36 minutes played. Hyland's 24 points on Saturday were the most by a Golden Ram men's hooper in a season opener in over 10 years and is currently the seventh-best number of any player in the PSAC thus far this year. 
 
Senior guard Tyrell Long ( Philadelphia, Pa./Bishop McDevitt) also had a big game against Wesley on Saturday, putting up 18 points on 80% (8-of-10) shooting in 31 minutes. A career 50% shooter from the floor, Long's 8-of-10 performance on Saturday was one of the best of his career and it is currently No. 3 in the PSAC, trailing behind only Kutztown's Anthony Lee (92%) and Austin Harriott (83%) from Bloomsburg.
 
In the middle, sophomore center Tim Toro ( Scranton, Pa./Abington Heights) snagged a career-high 11 rebounds in Saturday's victory and came just one point shy of recording his first career double-double. Making his West Chester debut, freshman guard Frank Rokins (Plainfield, N.J./St. Mary's) notched 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field, while grabbing six boards in his first time wearing the purple and gold.
 
The Golden Rams shot 30-of-54 (56%) from the field, but struggled from beyond the arc – ending the game having converted only five of 17 (29%) shots from deep. West Chester dominated the Wolverines in the paint (48-24) and tallied 22 second chance points compared to just eight by Wesley.

Additional West Chester Information
2017-18 Schedule
2017-18 Roster
2017-18 Statistics
 
 
 
SCOUTING THE GRIFFINS
Head Coach: Jesse Balcer
Conference: Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC)
Overall Record: 0-1
Conference Record: 0-0
Streak: L1
Team Page: http://www.griffinathletics.com/index.aspx?path=mbball
 
Coming out of nearby Philadelphia, Chestnut Hill enters tonight's game at 0-1 following a 78-56 loss at Queens College on November 10. The Griffin struggled mightily from the field against the Knights, shooting just 16-of-48 (33%) from the field and 3-of-20 (15%) from beyond the arc. Although its shooting from the floor was less than desirable, Chestnut Hill managed to keep the game relatively close after shooting at a 96% (21-of-22) clip from the charity stripe.
 
Guard Demetrius Isaac led the Griffin attack in the loss with 16 points and swingman Dexter Thompson logged 10 points on a perfect 3-for-3 from the field and 4-for-4 from the free throw line to go along with six rebounds against the Knights.
 
Coming out of the CACC South, Chestnut Hill ended last season with the second worst record (5-21) and only managed two conference victories throughout the 2016-17 campaign. Head Coach Jesse Balcer's squad ranked 12th in the league in scoring offense at 67.5 points per game, while ranking in the bottom third of the CCAC in total defense at 80 points per outing.
 
Although he did not play in Friday's game against Queens, senior forward Chris Evans returns to guide this Chestnut Hill team in 2017-18. Evans led the squad in scoring average (12.8/game), rebounds (4.2/game), field goal percentage (50%), and three-point shooting percentage (40%) while tying for the team lead with 14 total blocks.